


Peapod, Pineapple, Pumpkin

by annieoakley1



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-26
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:09:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annieoakley1/pseuds/annieoakley1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss and Peeta meet again years after high school graduation, and their one night together will have a lifelong impact.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Peapod, Pineapple, Pumpkin

She thought Finnick sounded bad when he called to invite her for drinks after work, but she didn’t realize how awful he must be feeling until she saw him at the bar.  He was fiddling with the two strands of rope he used to demonstrate knots in his scuba diving class, compulsively untying and tying them together again, and so she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly as she slid next to him in the booth.

“Rough day?” she asked sympathetically.

“I miss her,” he sighed, knotting a bowline. 

If her friend needed a night to shut off the thoughts racing through his head, then she’d suck up the loss of her Friday evening.  He ordered a couple shots and she asked for a Coke, and within a half hour he was on his way to drunk.

Katniss, however, was sober and bored.  She stared off into space as Finnick sulked, and then her eyes caught sight of a familiar face in the crowded club.  It had been nearly 8 years since she last saw him, but for some reason he stood out immediately. 

“Hey,” she said to Finnick, elbowing him to get his attention.  “I went to high school with that guy.”

Finnick looked up with glazed eyes.  “Which one?”

“The blond guy,” she said, staring, and Finnick followed her line of sight.

“So go say hi.”

She looked back at Finnick incredulously.  “We weren’t friends or anything.”  In fact, they never spoke a word to each other, from kindergarten on.  Peeta Mellark was the baker’s son, captain of the wrestling team, and their school’s pick for Class of 2005’s Best Smile, while Katniss was quiet and kept mostly to herself.  Even now Peeta was surrounded by a group of friends.  Some things never change.

Finnick ordered more drinks, and she kept him company until he could barely keep his eyes open.  “Ready to go?” she asked, but he waved her off, grabbing his messenger bag and using it as a makeshift pillow. 

“It’s still early,” he yawned.  Within minutes, he was snoring.

Katniss looked around, not sure what to do now.  She adjusted his bag to make sure he was comfortable, and then she took off her sweater and draped it over his back.  The place was filling up quickly, so she decided to go to the bar while she could for another Coke, and she tried her best to not seek out Peeta as she did it.

Peeta might not have ever said a word to her, but she sure seemed to remember a lot of things about him.  That was odd, she realized now.  She’ never paid much attention to anyone else at school, but she  _still_ recalled certain things about him.  Maybe she started keeping tabs on him in the fifth grade.  Katniss hadn’t thought about the necklace in years, but Peeta’s appearance tonight catapulted her back in time.

It was near Christmas when it happened, and her father had been recently laid-off.  Every year their elementary school participated in the Santa Shop, where on the last day before vacation, the gymnasium was transformed into a store with inexpensive gifts to sell.   The teachers took each class out to “shop,” and all the kids loved being able to get little presents for their friends and family.

Katniss knew how tight things were at home and she didn’t want to bother her parents over something so trivial.  But Prim was excited to do it, so Katniss gave her what little money she had saved, leaving herself penniless.  When it was her class’s turn to go to the gym, she looked around with everyone else, but she knew she couldn’t buy anything.

She didn’t think she would mind not being able to participate, but she hated that she couldn’t get something for Prim.  Over in the small jewelry section, there was a tiny heart necklace for sale, and Katniss picked up the box and admired it, knowing how much her sister would love it.   The necklace would have been perfect for her, but Katniss didn’t have a penny to spend, so she put it back down and went to wait with the kids who had already made their purchases.

At the end of the day, after they were dismissed, she went to her coat hook and cubby to gather her things, and there on top of her notebooks was a small jewelry box, her name written in messy cursive along the side.  Her brow furrowed in confusion as she opened the box to find the heart necklace, and she looked around suspiciously, but no one was paying any attention to her as they chatted excitedly about Christmas break.  Katniss closed the box and slipped it into her backpack, biting her lip in excitement because now she had a gift for Prim.

She had no idea who could have given her it, though.  Who would have known she wanted it and cared enough to make sure she got it?  It was obviously intended for her, since it had her name on it, but there was no note.  She didn’t really recognize the handwriting on the box, and there weren’t any other clues.

She scanned the room again, and this time her eyes met Peeta Mellark’s.  He immediately looked away, laughing at something one of his friends had said, but Katniss continued to watch him curiously.  It wasn’t the first time she caught Peeta staring at her like that, she realized.

But he never spoke to her and gave her any indication he was behind the gift.  When she got older, Katniss rationalized that one of the teachers took pity on a poor student and bought it for her.  She couldn’t quite rationalize the handwriting, but that still made the most sense. 

“What are you having, sweetheart?”

The bartender brought her back to earth, and she politely requested a regular Coke.  Once the drink was in her hand, she gave in to her curiosity and looked over to the spot where she last saw Peeta.  He was still with the same group of guys, but he actually looked bored as they talked and laughed, and he seemed to be nursing a beer while they all took turns doing shots.

He looked almost exactly like he did in high school, she realized.  His hair was a little shorter now and he was more muscular, but he still seemed like the same boy she always found herself wondering about far more than she should have.

She was doing it now, too.  Despite the drunken bodies obnoxiously thrashing around her, Katniss found herself mesmerized by him.  He was dressed in a navy half-zip pullover and jeans, and she had to admire the way they fit, the way the material of the sweater stretched across his wide shoulders and clung to him.  But as her eyes roamed back up his body, they locked with his.  She faltered, embarrassed at being caught, and he smiled at her.  Not the Best Smile.  This one was shy and sweet and, frankly, even better.

She didn’t know what to do.  Finnick was on the other side of the room, still asleep, and she was standing in the middle of the crowd like an idiot, holding her virgin Coke and gawking at a man she hadn’t seen in nearly eight years.

So she smiled back.  Against all of her instincts and natural tendencies, she relaxed her features and lifted the corners of her mouth, smiling back.  Then her heart nearly stopped when he got up and started walking toward her.  That would teach her not to smile.

“Hi, Katniss.”

She was still smiling, her expression inexplicably frozen on her face.  “Hi, Peeta.”

She didn’t understand why her pulse was racing as they talked, actually talked, for the first time ever, right there in the middle of the club.  After they both lamented about how long it’d been since high school, she somehow invited him back over to her booth with Finnick.  He looked over his shoulder at his friends, then agreed immediately.  “I’m the designated driver,” he admitted as they sat.  “It’s basically babysitting for adults.”

She gestured to Finnick, who was now sleeping in a puddle of drool that had gathered on his bag.  “Tell me about it.  We just transferred here a few months ago and his girlfriend can’t make the move until this summer.”

“Oh.  Why did you transfer?”

Katniss wasn’t normally one for idle chit-chat to fill the silence, but Peeta still seemed so nice and unintimidating, so she told him about how she and Finnick became friends in grad school, and that he pulled some strings to get a full-time position in the biology department at the university.  Katniss’s PhD in botany wasn’t proving to be her meal ticket, but she found a job teaching 7thgrade earth science at one of the high schools, so she made the move to the big city with him.  Peeta seemed seriously impressed by her degrees, and she felt a strange satisfaction at that.

“What about you?” she asked politely.

“I own a bakery uptown.”

She took a sip of her soda.  “You didn’t want to stay home and take over your parents’?”

“Nah,” he said with a headshake.  “There wasn’t much for me back there.  I’m not a huge fan of the city but business here is good.  Anyway, they sold theirs last year and moved to Boca Rotan.”  He grimaced before taking a drink of his beer.  “That makes  _me_  feel old.”

She laughed.  Her soda might have been alcohol-free but something about Peeta was making her feel the same warm happiness she associated with a light buzz.

They talked until the band started playing and it became impossible to hear each other.  “Hey, do you want to go outside?” he shouted.

“What?”

He tried again, louder.  “Do you want to go outside?”

“South side?” she mouthed, confused.

“OUTSIDE!” he yelled, just as the band’s warm-up stopped.  It felt like everyone in the club turned to look at them in that moment, and they both blushed in embarrassment, and then laughed. 

“Yeah,” she said.  She checked on Finnick, who was proving once again that he could sleep through pretty much anything, and when she was satisfied that he was fine, she followed Peeta to the back exit.

“Wow,” she said when the frigid air hit her.  It was mid-April but it felt like February outside.  It didn’t help that she left her sweater with her friend.

Even Peeta seemed cold.  “Yeah, this weather is crazy.  I’m actually parked right over here, though.”

He led her to a silver Honda CR-V, and she climbed in after he opened the door for her, and then she watched as he jogged around the front of the SUV to get to the driver’s seat.  “Damn, that’s cold,” he said once inside.  He turned the key in the ignition and switched on the heat, and they both relaxed as the hot air warmed them. 

“That band,” he said with a shudder, though he was smiling.  “I guess that’s not my style.”

“Is that what the kids are listening to now days?” she joked.  But she agreed with him.

“It’s funny, but back home, everyone our age is married with a kid or two, and here, they’re still partying like they’re in college.”

“It’s true,” she said.  And she didn’t feel like she fit in with either crowd.  “So, are you still friends with anyone from school?” she asked.

He told her about a couple people she knew of, familiar names like Delly and Thresh, and then he asked her.

“Not really,” she shrugged.  She was Facebook friends with Madge Undersee, but that was it.

“Not even Gale Hawthorne?”

God, Gale Hawthorne, her high school best friend.  She hadn’t thought about him in forever.  “No.  We went to different colleges and kind of lost touch.  I heard he got a fancy job in another state, but we don’t talk anymore.”

“Oh,” he said quietly.  “I always thought you two were pretty serious.”

“We never dated,” she quickly clarified, not sure why everyone always assumed that. 

They both fell silent for a minute, and then Peeta softly asked if she was dating anyone now.

“No,” she admitted, chancing a look his way.  “Are you?”

“No.”

They both suppressed smiles.

“I’ve been kind of busy getting the bakery off the ground,” he said a few moments later.  “I guess I was putting all my energy into that.”

“How’s it going?”

“Good,” he answered brightly.  “I think I’ve got the market cornered on cupcake cakes.”

“Cupcake cakes?”

“Yeah!  They’re the cupcakes that are arranged and designed to look like cakes.  I started doing them a few years ago, and it’s really taken off lately.  It’s like the trendy thing with weddings now.”  He hooked his thumbs around his steering wheel and then shyly glanced over at her.  “Not to brag, but Panem Magazine nicknamed me ‘Cupcake King.’”

They shared another smile and he laughed.  “Okay, I was totally bragging.”

“How  _does_  the king of cupcakes keep the ladies away?” she asked, still beaming.

“Cold hard truth?  I’m boring.”

“I doubt that,” she said.

He laughed again, and she was really starting to love the sound of it.  “No, I am.   I’m the default designated driver every weekend,” he said.  “I get up at 4 a.m. on Saturdays and nap before meeting up with them.  I don’t even drink on the nights I can because I don’t want to be hungover when I’m picking up dry-cleaning.”

“No, that’s how I am, too,” she said.  “That’s not boring, it’s responsible.”

“Katniss,” he said seriously, but his eyes told her he was still teasing.  “Trust me.”  He looked out the window and over at the club.  “I  _hate_  that place.  I’m so out of my element in there.  I keep thinking about my new bed at home.”  He looked back at her.  “It’s a Tempur Pedic and it’s awesome.”

She burst out laughing.  “Oh my god, you’re talking about your Tempur Pedic bed and your parents are retired in Florida.  How old are you again?”

“I warned you,” he said, still smiling.  “And hey, it’s not my fault I was a change of life baby.”

She wiped at her eyes and turned in her seat to face him better.  “It’s okay,” she said, calmer now.  “I’m boring, too.”  And she was.  He could ask Finnick, or Prim, or anyone at the high school she started working at in January.  Katniss Everdeen was a simple, by-the-rules girl who never took chances or let herself have fun.  It was a miracle she gathered the courage to talk to Peeta tonight.

He wasn’t laughing anymore either, and they both openly stared at each other for a long moment, their eyes darting back and forth to the other’s mouths.  She ran her tongue over her top lip, and he mimicked her instinctively.  “Maybe we could be boring together,” he said, leaning in ever so slightly.

It only took her a split-second to decide that she wanted this, too.  If ever there was a time to shed inhibitions and go for something, it should be now and with Peeta.  So she met him over the center console, tentatively pressing her closed mouth his, feeling immediately how warm his lips felt against hers.  That first touch calmed her, and she parted her mouth to deepen the kiss, reveling in how Peeta had commanded a gentle but firm technique that left her breathless.

As she moved to wrap her arms around his shoulders, her fingers immediately seeking the nape of his neck, the tip of his tongue gently probed the seam of her mouth, and she granted him entrance, moaning softly at the intensity with which they now moved.

The kiss was different than any she ever had before; it made her feel something stir deep inside of her, making her want more.  More kisses.  More contact.  More Peeta.  The notion of stopping was the furthest thing from her mind in that moment, and he moved with her in such perfect synchronization that she was sure he felt the same.

He leaned in closer, cupping her face in his hands and swallowing each pleasurable sound she made.  Nothing was enough, though, so she climbed over the center console and into his lap, causing him to still in surprise for only a split second before he kissed her harder.  It was officially the most impulsive decision she ever made, but when he groaned at the feel of her pressed against him, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

They finally broke the kiss, though she wasn’t sure which one of them had the willpower to finally do it.  Peeta was looking up at her as if she was the most important thing in the world to him in that moment, and they were both already so far gone, it seemed silly to not just go further.

She took his hand in hers and brought it to her breast, writhing in his lap as he massaged the mound beneath her shirt.  “Or maybe we can try to be something else together,” she said, her voice so raspy it was nearly unrecognizable to her own ears.

This was crazy.  She hadn’t seen him in years, and even then he was practically a stranger.  This was too much, too fast.  They both knew that, on some level, but the temptation to keep going was overwhelming, so she surrendered to it.

Her hand slipped further down his body to graze the bulge below his belt, and she sighed his name, unhinging him. 

He moved rougher now, licking the inside of her mouth as he thrust up against her, and she wished so much they were somewhere else.  As she moved closer, her knee hit the cup holder, and she sucked in a frustrated breath.  “Bet my Tempur Pedic bed doesn’t sound so bad now, huh?” he asked arrogantly, as if he had been reading her thoughts.

“We could climb into the back,” she said, swiveling her hips. 

“It’d be very high school of us,” he agreed with a choked laugh.

She began to rub him through his jeans, her eyes still locked with his.  She’d never been this brazen with anyone before, and there was something nearly addictive about taking charge and going for what she wanted. 

They weren’t going to make it to the backseat either.

Her fingers moved to his belt buckle as their mouths met in another kiss, but he grabbed her wrist, stilling her hand, when she tried to lower his zipper.  “I don’t have anything with me.”

“Nothing?” she asked, incredulous.  She just assumed every single male carried a condom around in their wallet like it was their American Express card.  _Never leave home without it_.

“Uh, it’s been a long time,” he stammered nervously.  “Do you?”

“No,” she sighed regretfully.  She had no idea what constituted a long time in Peeta’s mind, but she was almost positive she’d have him beat there, and unless the condom fairy dropped one in her purse, there was no way she had anything with her.  She didn’t even have her purse to check.  She left that with Finnick.

Finnick!  Finnick was most definitely faithful to Annie, but there was probably still a condom tucked away somewhere in his giant bag.  “No, but I can get one.”  Time was her enemy, because she didn’t want to overthink things and come back to her senses, so she opened his door and slid off his body, kissing him soundly on the lips before he had a chance to reply.  “I’ll be right back.”

She raced into the club, making a beeline for their booth.  Finnick was still sleeping away his tequila, so she carefully unzippered his bag while he slept, trying desperately not to disturb him. 

The messenger bag, which he affectionately referred to as his ‘murse,’ was filled to the brim with all kinds of junk, from hair products to more rope.  She tried to feel for his wallet, and she smiled in victory when her hand finally closed around it. 

His damn wallet was as bad as his bag, though.  Every credit card and club card in the universe was packed inside, and there were endless compartments filled with business cards and photos of Annie. It felt like she was wading through it forever before she found the little foil packet she sought so desperately, but finally she emerged victorious.

She put everything back where she found it, ruffled Finnick’s hair in gratitude, and then practically sprinted to the parking lot.  The cold air only motivated her to move faster, the need for Peeta and his warmth propelling her forward and keeping her conscience in check.

He opened his mouth to speak again when she opened his car door, so she silenced him with a kiss, effectively shutting him up and keeping them in the moment.  She climbed back on top of him, and he pulled the door shut behind her.  “Katniss,” he panted, breaking the kiss, and she was sure he was going to tell her to stop.  But his hooded eyes met hers as he instinctively thrust up again, and the only thing he could ask her was if she got one.

She held it up without comment, then leaned in to kiss him one more time.  The feel of his fingertips caressing her cheek coupled with his hot breath tickling her skin as she pulled away was what made her sure, really  _sure_ , that she wanted to do this.

He helped balance her as she awkwardly pushed down her pants and underwear, and as the material twisted around her feet, he kept her up and disentangled her.  Being naked from the waist down was enough to make her pause, but then his hands went to her ass, kneading her flesh and pressing her roughly against his jeans, and that was enough to make her forget her modesty again.

“Someone could see,” she realized, grabbing at his shoulders as she continued to grind down in his lap. 

He slid one hand back around her and dipped his fingers between her thighs, and she arched her spine as he started to stroke her.  “You’re so wet,” he said as he stared up at her, and her eyes fell shut as he brushed her clit with his thumb.  “Do you  _like_  that someone could see us?”

She did, she realized.  The idea that they could be caught, that others would know what they were doing to each other right now…it was one of the most thrilling experiences of her life.  It was so unlike her, so atypical of her normally safe and boring life, and that was one of the most attractive aspects of it, but the fact that it was  _Peeta Mellark_  fingering her right now was what really got her going. 

Katniss moaned in response and he worked faster, his thick index finger now inside her as he continued to rub her clit.  “Do you  _want_  someone to see us?” he asked.  The other hand that was on the small of her back now reached up to wind into her hair, and he wrapped the dark strands around his fist and tugged softly, spurring her to moan louder.

“Mmm, Peeta,” she said, moving her hips in time with his finger. 

“I love the way you say my name,” he told her dreamily.  “Before tonight, I didn’t think you knew it.”

“I knew it,” she admitted.  Her nails dug into his sweater as he circled her clit, and her entire body tensed.  “I always knew it.”

“You know, I don’t think I want someone to see us after all,” he said, speeding up as her face contorted in pleasure.  “The way you look right now?  I don’t want anyone else to see that.”  He pulled her down for a kiss, her hair still twisted around his hand, and she inhaled sharply as the orgasm took over.

“Peeta,” she mumbled against his mouth, riding it out as he continued to pump his finger into her.  “Oh,  _fuck_ , Peeta!”

She was gasping for breath by the time her vision cleared enough to see him again, and he was looking up at her as if he couldn’t decipher whether or not this was all real.  She was so dazed, she wasn’t sure either.

She felt for the condom they had tossed onto the center console, and she handed it to him and then helped him tug his jeans off his hips to free him.  “Fuck,” he muttered as she wrapped her hand around him.  “I wish we were somewhere else.  There’s so many things I want to do to you right now.”

“Like what?” she asked as he tore open the foil packet and rolled the condom down his shaft, and she rose up as he positioned himself at her entrance.

She used his broad shoulders to steady herself as she slowly slid down onto him, and they both moaned once he was fully inside of her.  “Like what?” she repeated, and his head thumped against the headrest as his eyes fell shut.

“I want you on my bed, completely naked,” he said, his jaw clenched tightly.  “I want to see all of you, and to taste you, and to fuck you in every position imaginable.”

“Oh, god,” she cried, moving faster.  “I want that, too.”

“I want you on your knees, begging for my cock.  I want, fuck, I want…”

He trailed off, unable to keep track of his thoughts as she clenched around him.  “I can’t last much longer,” he said.

“Then let go,” she told him, leaning down to kiss his jaw.  “Come for me, Peeta.  That’s what I want.”

He held onto her hips as he thrust up, frantically calling out her name one more time.  She sighed as he continued to pump into her, the final waves of his orgasm slowly ebbing, and then she slid off of him.

She adjusted her top as he removed the condom, and then reality was setting in and she wasn’t sure whether she should hide her face in embarrassment or bask in the afterglow of the most exciting thing she’d ever done.

“We should probably get back to our friends,” she said, reaching for her pants.  Peeta grabbed them for her and handed them to her, but before she could shimmy back over the console, he stopped her with a kiss.  It was much slower and sweeter than the ones they shared earlier, and she felt dizzy when he pulled back. 

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve imagined that,” he said sincerely.  “But even my wildest dreams could never compare to the real thing.”  He kissed her cheek, and she smiled shyly at him before she moved away to redress.

He held her hand as they made their way through the parking lot, but she untangled her fingers from his once they were inside.  As Peeta met back up with his group, four raucous, burly guys now drunk off their asses, she headed back to Finnick and tried to rouse him.  “Hey, sleeping beauty, ready to get out of here?”

“Mm, five more minutes, Mom.”

She decided to allow it and sat down next to him, thinking again about the last thing Peeta said to her.  While she wasn’t exactly sure which fantasy of his she fulfilled tonight, she still felt a high off of knowing he had enjoyed that as much as she had.  The only thing bringing her down now was the fact that she’d probably never see him again.

“Hey!”

Or maybe not, she thought, smiling at him as he came bounding over to her.  “Hi.”

“Here, I wrote my personal cell number on the back.”  He handed her a business card, which she took in confusion.  She seriously thought whatever they had tonight had ended as quickly as it started.  Not that she was going to complain if he wanted to see her again.

“It’s past my bedtime, and I’ve still got to get these dumbasses home, but, uh…would you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”  He looked so nervous asking her, like he was a shy teenager and not someone she had sex with literally minutes earlier.

“Of course,” she breathed, studying his card.  “I’ll text you my address.”

“Is 8 okay?  The bakery doesn’t close until 6, so-”

“No, that’s fine.  Eight it is.”

“Are you heading out soon?  I could help you with him if you’d like,” he said, gesturing to Finnick.

“Oh, I’m just going to stay with him until he’s ready to go,” she said as Finnick began to stir, and suddenly she was wondering nervously how obvious it was to everyone that she and Peeta had totally just fucked.  Finnick would never let her live it down.  Hell, Peeta’s friends would probably be able to smell their sex in his car, and that thought in particular panicked her.  “But we’ll be okay.”

He looked at her worriedly, probably wondering how she was going to get Finnick home when he seemed completely blitzed.  “I’m going to order some coffee to sober him up.”

“Okay,” he agreed reluctantly.  He kissed her on the forehead and told her he’d see her tomorrow night.  She watched him as he walked back to his friends and started herding them out, and there were about a million different emotions running through her then: excitement, apprehension, disbelief.

And happiness.  Definitely happiness.

The next morning, she woke to the smell of frying bacon, and she padded out to the kitchen to find Finnick making breakfast.  “On a scale of one to ten, how much of an asshole was I last night?”

“About a five,” she said, remembering how hard it was to get him home.  “But an omelet will bring that down to a three.”

He flashed her one of his stunning smiles and started cracking eggs.  “So I had the weirdest dream last night.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked absently, moving around him to make coffee.

“Yeah.  You were robbing me.” 

She froze.  “I was?”  Shit, she’d completely forgot that she ransacked his bag in her lust-addled state the night before.  What a total invasion of his privacy.  She felt horrible.

He flipped the omelet in the pan with perfect precision. Finnick Odair was gifted with beauty and a lot of talents, and he also never had a hangover in his life. “Yeah, you were trifling through my wallet like a mad woman.”

“I’m sorry,” she sighed, turning to face him.  “I did.  I mean, I was.”  She was about to make up an excuse about needing money for tips or something, but she knew he’d know she was lying.  He would already be grilling her about Peeta anyway when he came to pick her up tonight, so the truth seemed like the easiest option.  “I, uh, took a condom.”

She was pretty sure the questions would be endless, but his first look was of confusion, not complete surprise.  “I had a condom?”

“Yes, in the deep recesses of your gross wallet, you had a condom.”  She came clean about Peeta and how they started talking, and that one thing led to another and they hooked up in the parking lot.  It didn’t sound all that classy in the morning light, but she still wasn’t going to regret it.  “We’re going out tonight,” she added off-handedly. 

He handed her a plate and then rubbed his temples.  “Information overload, wow.”

“He’s nice,” she said, taking a bite of her eggs.  “You can meet him tonight if you want.  You know, when you’re actually sober.”

“Okay, first off, Annie and I haven’t used condoms in years, so I hope you checked the expiration date on it.” 

She stopped mid-bite, but he continued on happily.  “Secondly, hell yeah I want to meet him.  I can’t believe you did that.”  He smiled at her proudly, saluting her with his toast.  “My little Katniss is growing up.”

“Just out of curiosity,” she said, ignoring everything else.  “If, hypothetically speaking, we didn’t check the expiration date…”  She trailed off nervously, and Finnick pushed off the counter to sit across from her at the breakfast bar.

“Did it break?” he asked seriously.

“No,” she said, pretty sure it hadn’t.  They didn’t specifically check, but surely one of them would have noticed that. 

“Then it’s probably fine.  Come on, tell me more about Peeta.”  He batted his eyelashes as he said his name, and Katniss groaned as the teasing began.  “He must be something else if he’s got you all smiley.”

She felt her lips tugging upward again in spite of herself, all at the mere mention of his name, and Finnick laughed as he shook his head.  “Yeah, I definitely want to meet this guy if he’s got you acting like this.”  Her smile broadened into a grin, and Finnick’s own look turned to one of horror.  “Okay, stop that!  You’re freaking me out now.”

But she couldn’t stop smiling.  She wasn’t sure what was in store for them, but she  _liked_  him, and she just had this feeling that this was the start of something great.

 

**Poppy Seed**

Their third date fell the day after her birthday, and Peeta insisted on celebrating it even though she assured him that he didn’t have any obligations to do so this early in the relationship.

Still, he sent her a text bright and early on May 8th, wishing her a happy birthday and saying that he couldn’t wait to see her the next night.  That afternoon, he texted her that there was a cupcake at the bakery with her name on it, and then her phone buzzed again seconds later.  ‘ _Literally_ ,’ the message read, and there was an attached photo of a cupcake with her name delicately piped on top of the bed of buttercream frosting. 

He must have dropped it off to Finnick at some point that evening because when she got home, it was waiting for her in the kitchen.  Her roommate watched as she smiled broadly while peeling off the foil liner.  “You’ve got it bad, Everdeen,” he teased, but she ignored him as she devoured the whole thing in three bites. 

She didn’t have it  _bad_ , she just liked him.  A lot.  He was nice and funny and smart, and the cupcakes were a nice bonus, too.  But really, it was  _his_ sweetness that got her.

Their previous date, while they were discussing their families, she brought up Prim, who would be graduating from college in a couple weeks.  The topic of her sister reminded her of the necklace from all those years ago, and since Peeta was so easy to talk to, she decided to just go ahead and ask if he was the one who got it for her.

She expected that he wasn’t, and assumed they’d move on from his confusion and continue their perfectly lovely dinner.  But it was only surprise painting his face after she asked, and as he twirled the pasta on his fork, he shook his head.  “You remember that?”

“So it was you?”

He laughed before taking a bite, nodding as he chewed.   “I had such a huge crush on you.  But I didn’t think you liked it.  I never saw you wear it.”

She looked down at her own plate and bit her lip.  “Oh.  Well, I gave it to Prim.  For Christmas.”

“That’s sweet,” he said with a soft smile, and warmth rushed through her all over again, and it was taking all of her restraint to not ask him to take her back to his place right then.  But they both seemed to be making a conscientious effort to take things slower now, though she wasn’t sure whether they were trying to prove something to themselves or the other. 

There definitely seemed to be some sort of invisible line each was trying to not cross now that they were actually seeing each other.  After their first real date, he dropped her off at her door and squeezed her hand goodnight, and she didn’t make any move to take it further than that.  After their second, he leaned in hopefully for a kiss, and she lightly pressed her lips to his, but neither tried to deepen it.  That was nice, she thought.  Just a simple, sweet kiss, no hint of the lust and chaos that brought them together in the first place. 

He whispered for her to have sweet dreams and then kissed her one more time, right on the forehead, before turning to leave.  She was still grinning from it when she went inside, and Finnick rolled his eyes at her when he saw.  But she didn’t care. 

Now it was their third date and her birthday, and she was seriously considering going for it.  If they put it off again tonight, then it’d be at least another two weeks before they did anything else, since she was due for her period soon.  She wasn’t sure she had that kind of willpower now.

“Okay, I know you said to not make a big deal about your birthday,” he said during dessert, and she looked up from her crème brulee to see him sliding a small box across the table.  “ _But_  I saw this and it made me think of you, so…”

She scowled as she opened it, about to insist that he  _really_  shouldn’t have, but inside the box was a small silver locket on a thin chain, and she smiled at the lotus flower design on a green background.  The plant had been the cornerstone of her research in graduate school, and it was her favorite color, too; again she was amazed by how well he listened to every word she said.

“Thank you,” she told him instead, admiring it some more.

“You’re very welcome.”

She removed it from the box and put it on, smiling as she promised to actually keep this one for herself.

“I don’t know, Prim might like it,” he said with a laugh.  “And she’s got graduation coming up…”

“True,” Katniss said, pretending to consider it.  “It’d save me a shopping trip and some money.”

As they walked back to his car after finishing their meal, Katniss wove her hand in his and moved closer, and he pressed a kiss to her cheek as he opened the car door for her.  She turned her head to catch his lips before he had a chance to pull away, and then she opened her mouth slightly to deepen the kiss, encouraging him to reciprocate, too.

He did, gladly, and soon they were frantically making out right there in the parking lot of some fancy French restaurant uptown.  Gasping for breath, she pushed him back before things escalated too quickly and they completely lost their minds again.  Still, the simple reminder was enough to give her some of the courage that she had in spades that night a couple weeks back. 

“Do you know what I  _really_  want for my birthday?” she asked, reaching out to play with his tie.  Instead of waiting for a reply, she leaned in to kiss him one more time, and then she stood up on the tips of her toes to whisper in his ear, “I’d like to go back to your place and do all the things you wanted that night.”

He grazed her lips as she pulled back, but he didn’t say anything as he helped her into the seat and shut the door behind her, and he was silent during the drive, too, though she noticed he didn’t pull onto the street that would lead to the apartment complex where she lived with Finnick.  They drove out of the city, neither uttering a word until they were in the suburbs and he was pulling into the driveway of a small craftsman house on a picturesque little street.

“So…” he said, laughing a little as he trailed off.  “Why was this so much easier that night?”

She shook her head, smiling as she looked out at his house.  “I really don’t know.”

“Come on, I’ll give you the tour.”

He led her inside, showing her the living room and dining room before taking her to the kitchen.  Each room was large and sparsely decorated, which wasn’t too surprising since he was a busy bachelor, but it still had a nice, homey feel despite that. 

They stood at an impasse, not quite sure how to proceed even though they both knew what they wanted.  Finally, Katniss decided to suggestively ask for the rest of the tour, and he seemed to exhale in relief as he took her hand before they ascended the stairs.

“My bedroom,” he announced at the first door.  She wasn’t going to make  _every_ first move, so she waited until he opened it and then motioned her in, and when she saw the large bed in the center of the room, she laughed.

“Your Tempur Pedic,” she said, heading straight to it to test it out.  “We meet at last.”

“I figured that’s why you really wanted up here,” he told her as he sat next to her on the mattress.  He bounced lightly, grinning at her when she did it, too.  “Nice, huh?”

“Not bad at all,” she agreed.

He stopped to watch her as she continued to test it out, but she stilled under his scrutiny.  “What?”

Her breath hitched as he kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, melting against him.  It was what she wanted, for him to seek some control here, and he must have understood that as soon as their lips met, because soon he was lowering her onto the bed, his hands moving to the straps of her dress.  “What was the first thing I said I wanted again?” he asked teasingly. 

“Mmm, I don’t remember.”

He slid the straps off her shoulders, then roughly tugged at the hem to remove the dress completely, his eyes drinking her in as he pulled the material down her legs.  She thought they would feel less rushed than they were that night, but she was already impatient with his pace, and desperate to get the rest of her clothing off immediately.  He seemed to be trying to restrain himself, but it wasn’t long before he gave in and unhooked her bra with one hand while the other dipped inside of her underwear. 

She kicked off her heels as he started to kiss the top of her breasts, only lowering the cups to expose more skin to his mouth.  “We can always go slow later,” she said, her eyes shut as she concentrated on the sensation of his warm lips inching closer to her nipple. 

“Fast seems more our pace, huh?” he asked, finally drawing the peak into his mouth.

She clutched his head to her chest, sighing as his mouth moved over her.  “Please.”

They each removed the rest of their clothes, and she admired the smattering of freckles on his shoulders as he reached for a condom.  “I’m prepared this time,” he smiled. 

“Good.”

She promised that they would get to everything else eventually, too, but the need to feel him inside of her again was paramount.  She opened herself to him as he crawled on top of her, and he kissed her as he entered her slowly.  “You feel amazing.”

“You do, too,” she said, watching him as he hovered above her.

They may have agreed to go slow later, but they were both taking their time now, and it felt like they were joined together for hours before each finally lost control.  After, she curled up next to him, still panting, and he wrapped his arm around her as he stared up at the ceiling in bliss. 

“Katniss,” he whispered later, when she was nearly asleep in his arms. 

“Hmm?”

“If I had asked you out in high school, would you have said yes?”

She thought about it for a minute, then regretfully admitted that no, she probably wouldn’t have.  “I don’t think I was ready for a boyfriend then,” she said.

He nodded in understanding.  “Do you think you’re ready now?”

She bit her lip to hide her smile.  “ _Maybe_.”

 

**Lentil**

She was never one of those women who could set a calendar by their cycle, so she tried not to worry too much when she was a couple days late.  Tried being the operative word, because she did worry.  A lot.  Then, she reasoned, the stress and worry over being late was making her late.  She didn’t want to entertain any other possibilities.

It was always on her mind, though, creeping up on her at all times, making her feel perpetually anxious.  She was actually thankful that Peeta was so busy with work, because seeing him and talking to him only made it worse.

Ten days past the date when her period should have started, she realized she couldn’t keep denying the possibility.  She headed to the bakery first, ready to tell Peeta why she was acting so odd lately and hoping that he would stay with her until she knew for sure.  She got all the way to his street corner before she talked herself out of it, and then she pivoted on her heel to spin back in the direction she came, marching determinedly into the drugstore by herself.

There was no sense in worrying Peeta over what could be nothing, she thought.  They had only been seeing each other for about six weeks now, and that was far too early in a relationship to deal with something like this.  So she would suck it up and find out for herself, then proceed accordingly. 

Approximately a million different pregnancy tests mocked her from the shelves, and she didn’t even know where to begin.  Each seemed to boast a unique feature that made it sound superior to the last one, and it felt like she was in that aisle for hours, staring stupidly at all the options until she finally grabbed a twin pack of tests claiming to be the most reliable on the market.  If only she had sucked it up and came here the day after her night with Peeta.  One simple pill and she wouldn’t even be in the position she was in now.  She hated herself for assuming everything would be fine, because that kind of optimism never got her anywhere.

Her head ached now, too, so she also grabbed some Excedrin.  And then she realized that no matter what the results were, she was going to need some ice cream to either cry or celebrate with, so she threw her items into a basket and headed to the small freezer section in the far corner of the store.  Again, the endless selection flustered her, and she found herself spacing out right in front of the pints of Ben and Jerry’s.

“Of all the Walgreens, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into mine.”

_‘Oh, no,’_  she thought, her eyes closing as if she could wish him away.  She tightly clutched the basket handles, swinging it behind her as she turned to face him.  “Hi.”

“Hey, you!” Peeta said, smiling happily as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.  “What brings you to my side of town?”

She tried her best to smile back, but it felt like her stomach was twisting into one of Finnick’s knots.  “Um, well, I was going to drop by to visit you after close, but I figured you were too busy and I shouldn’t distract you, so now I’m just doing some shopping.”  It sounded reasonable enough, but all the words were rushed together so fast that no one could mistake her nervousness for anything else.

“You okay?” he asked, his brows knitting together in concern.

“Um,” she stammered, desperately trying to compose herself.  He shuffled the Lean Cuisine he was holding from one hand to the other, and she realized he had a little bit of pink frosting on the sleeve of his  _Mellark’s_  t-shirt.  She could feel his eyes as he studied her, and then he was peering behind her, looking into the basket she was still attempting to hide from him.  She looked up just as he saw it, that stupid pink box that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else, and she could have sworn his face paled immediately. 

“Katniss?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not sure what else to say.  “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure.”

He blinked back at her, seemingly at a loss for words for the first time in his life.  “What, uh, makes you think you…could be?  I mean, we always used a condom.”

“I’m more than a week late,” she admitted.  “And the one I got from Finnick that first night was really old.”

“Wait,” he said, his voice taking on a strange edge that she would never have associated with him.  “You got that from Finnick and it was expired?”

“I didn’t  _know_  it was expired,” she snapped back defensively.  “And where did you think I got one?”

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, causing the short curls to stick up.  “I don’t know!  The men’s room?”

“You thought I got a condom out of the men’s room?” she asked, incredulous.

“Jesus, Katniss.  I didn’t exactly have a lot of blood flowing to my brain in that moment.  Excuse me for not thinking logically.”

Her eyes narrowed in anger.  “So this is all my fault?”

“I didn’t say that!” he yelled back, but his face softened immediately, and he checked to see if anyone had heard their exchange.  “I’m sorry.  Of course I don’t blame you.”  He sighed as she looked away.  “We don’t know for sure yet, right?  Let’s talk about this after you take the test.  There’s no sense in getting worked up over what might be nothing.”

He took the basket from her hand and led her to the lanes for checkout, and she followed him wordlessly back to the bakery after that.  She waited as he unlocked the door, again not saying anything, and she brushed past him to enter first, heading straight to the small bathroom.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she told him numbly, taking the test from the bag and locking the door behind her. 

She tried to concentrate on the directions but her vision blurred with the words.  _‘It’s just peeing on a stick,’_  she thought as she unzipped her jeans.  Even she shouldn’t be able to mess that up.

“Two minutes,” she told him when she slipped out of the bathroom. 

He was leaning against the wall, quietly watching her, and she couldn’t stop from flinching when his hand reached out for her.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, and she wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for trying to touch her now or for this entire situation.

“It’s probably time,” she told him, heading back into the room.  He followed behind her, and she braced herself against the pedestal sink before turning the test over.

Two lines. 

Two blue lines.

Her throat tightened as she clutched at the sink, the test slipping from her hand and falling into the basin.  “Katniss.”  Peeta was at her side in an instant, his hand winding around her waist.

“I should take the other one,” she said, wiping at her eyes.  “That’s why they give you two, right?  So you can be sure.”

He nodded sadly and then left the bathroom, and this time she started at the stick after, willing it with everything she had to stay negative.  But the second blue line appeared seconds later, and she broke down into tears that she couldn’t stop.

“Hey, come here,” he told her, wrapping her in a hug.  “Take a deep breath.  We’ll figure this out.”

She pushed away from him, shaking her head.   _Figure this out?_   It was a baby, not a math problem.  “I can’t have a baby,” is all she said, repeating it over and over again, her tears falling in large drops.  “I can’t.”

“Okay, it’s okay,” he said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.  “We’ll…take care of this, then.”

“I promise you’re not in this alone,” he added sadly.  “I know it probably feels like that now, but I swear I’m in this with you, 100%.” 

She allowed him to pull her back into another embrace, and she rested her head against his chest, trying to focus on the sound of his beating heart as she cried.

 

**Blueberry**

“It’s just a pill,” she told him over the phone.  “I have to take it there and then I go home.  It happens at home.”

“Can I go with you?” he asked.  “I don’t want you to be alone.”

She didn’t feel much like being alone during it either, honestly.  “Okay,” she agreed.

~*~

He kept tapping his foot while they sat in the waiting room, and she gritted her teeth in annoyance but held her tongue.  She knew that she hadn’t been very nice to Peeta lately; in the days since they found out, she’s been doing her best to avoid him, dodging most of his calls, and only reaching out to him to tell him about her appointment.  He had surprised her by being as upset about the pregnancy as she was, but it hadn’t taken long for him to revert back to the sensitive and caring guy she had gotten to know.  He’d made so many attempts to be there for her and she rubbed him at every turn, still too shocked and upset by their predicament to feel anything else.

The only recent moment of peace she had was earlier that morning, when she woke from an amazing dream.  Her memory of it was hazy in the morning light, but she remembered Peeta was in it.  And a baby. 

_Their_  baby, she realized bitterly once she was alert.  But that wasn’t going to happen, and it was physically painful when the harsh, cold reality of life set in again.

“There really aren’t any other options,” she said aloud, and finally his foot stopped moving.

He was about to say something when her name was called, and she took a deep breath before standing slowly.

“I’ll be right here when you’re done,” he told her, and she nodded as she started back toward the exam room.

It was like an out-of-body experience as the doctor went over everything with her.  The pill was sitting in a little white cup on the counter, and it should have been so much easier than this.  It was just a pill.  A  _tiny_  pill, easy to swallow.  She would suffer for today, and then it would be like none of this ever even happened.

Peeta was still sitting in the same chair when she came out of the room a little while later. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, watching her closely.

“I didn’t do it.”

“What?”

She grabbed his hand and led him out of the room, and once they were in the quiet hallway, she faced him again.  “I couldn’t do it.  I don’t know why, and it’s stupid, but I couldn’t.  But I don’t expect anything from you, Peeta.  Really.  You don’t have to be involved at all if you don’t want to be.  I’ll understand.”

“I want to be involved,” he replied immediately.  “I want to be  _very_  involved.  As involved as you’ll allow.”

“It’s your baby, too,” she said.  “You don’t need my permission to be a part of their life.”

“What about us?” he asked, and she knew he regretted how quickly that came out by the expression on his face, but it was still a valid question.

“Um, I don’t know,” she said, averting her eyes.  “I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of this.”

She looked back just in time to catch the flicker of disappointment on his face, but he recovered quickly.  “Okay.  I understand that.”

“Could we just…keep doing what we were doing?” she asked.

‘You mean dating?”

“Well, yeah.”

He tentatively reached out for her hand, knotting his fingers through hers.  “Okay.  I’d like that.”

She tried to smile back at him, but she was still feeling so overwhelmed by everything, so the best she could manage was a light squeeze of his hand.  He squeezed back, seemingly happy enough with what he could get.

 

**Fig**

 

Her stomach rolled painfully as she expelled the last of her dinner into the porcelain bowl.  The bile was next, and her throat burned as she heaved one more time.

Peeta knelt next to her, and there was a time a couple weeks ago when she was embarrassed to be vomiting in front of him, but now she was so tired and so sick that it was the least of her worries.  “Come on,” he said, helping her to her feet but shouldering a bulk of her weight.  “You have to try to sip on some water.”

“I can’t,” she whined as he sat her on the couch.  “Just the thought of it makes me want to throw up again.”

“Please, just tiny sips,” he said, holding up the glass to her lips.  “You haven’t kept anything down today.  Do you want to have to go back to the emergency room?” 

The very last thing she wanted was to waste another six hours sitting in the ER while they administered fluids, so she reluctantly took a very small drink.  “Good,” he said, placating her as if she were a small child.  “We’ll try again in another 15 minutes.” 

She sighed as she reclined in the seat, trying but failing to get comfortable.  Next to her, Peeta checked his watch.  “Finnick should be back soon.”

“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head as she tried to stand.  “I’m going to be sick again.”

Peeta helped her up and back to the bathroom, and he sat with her on the cool tile floor as she waited to vomit up that tiny drink of water.  This day was particularly bad so far.

“So, was it the drink or the idea of telling Finnick?” he asked with a small smile.

_Both_ , she wanted to say, but she couldn’t find the energy.  It wasn’t that she thought Finnick would be upset or even disappointed in her, but he was going to be the first person they told, and she was terrified of going open with this.  First it would be Finnick, and then in a week or two, they’d have to tell her mother, Prim, and Peeta’s family.  It would all be undeniably real then.   _That_  is what made her throw up.

They couldn’t hide it from Finnick anymore, though.  He already seemed suspicious of her chronic “stomach bug” and overall change in temperament.  She would be at the end of her first trimester soon enough, and that was when it was customary to tell everyone.  Finnick deserved to hear it first, though.

She was back on the couch and nearly asleep when he arrived home about an hour later.  “Still not feeling well?” he asked with concern, tossing his bag onto the countertop.

She sat up with Peeta’s assistance, and all the words she had recited in her head about a million times flew out the window.  “I’m pregnant,” she mumbled, her eyes desperate to close again.

“Yeah, I figured,” he told her, shaking his head.  “You’ve got that lovely glow going on.”

She cracked one eye open to glare at him, and Peeta rubbed her shoulder soothingly.  “It’s your fault, you know.”

“Yeah,” Peeta added.  “We’ve decided to blame it all on you.  It makes our lives easier.”

Finnick rubbed the bridge of his nose, suppressing a laugh.  “The amount of blame I’m willingly to accept will be directly proportional to how cute it is.”

Katniss was about to say something else, but her mouth filled with saliva as her body prepared for another round of vomiting.  She stumbled over Peeta as she made her way to the bathroom, and he followed closely behind, sharing a look with Finnick that she missed.

 

**Bell Pepper**

 

Peeta told her two weeks ago that she was starting to show, and she hasn’t been able to pass a mirror without checking the size of her stomach since.  It was terrifying, the idea that anyone could now know just by looking at her. 

The nausea that the doctor said would subside at the start of her second trimester was still an issue, and she was so thankful that school was out of session and she could spend a bulk of her day in bed, falling in and out of consciousness until either Peeta or Finnick came calling. 

She was just about to take her second nap when she felt it, a strange fluttering deep in her belly, like moth’s wings tickling her from inside.  She sat up, unsure if it actually happened or if she had imagined it.  Then she felt it again, and she held her breath as her hand went to her stomach protectively.

Again.  Like a fish swimming inside of her.  It was an odd feeling, and she honestly didn’t care much for it.  But when she realized that it was the baby stirring inside of her, all she felt was fear.

 

**Spaghetti Squash**

Peeta had the second sonogram photo hanging on his fridge, and she caught herself staring at it every time she was in the kitchen, which was a lot lately now that the sickness seemed to be mostly behind her.

She almost felt  _good_.  The past few months were mostly a blur, much of it spent on the couch, but now she was more like her old self, some days with energy to spare.  Finnick even snagged a job for her at his college teaching an intro to botany course, and between that and her improved health, she was practically happy.

Sometimes though, when it would move, she would panic, and that would be all she could focus on.  It was getting better over time, but she didn’t think she’d ever stop tensing up after that initial flutter. 

Yet she was still drawn to the sonogram photo, to the irrefutable proof that it was a  _baby_  inside of her.  In the first ultrasound picture, which was now in a frame in Peeta’s living room, the  _baby_  looked more like a gummy bear than anything else.  But at 20 weeks, they could make out the slope of its nose, the little chin, the tiny, clenched fist, the round belly.

A  _baby_.  She smiled every time she saw the picture.

“Hey!  You’re up!” Peeta called, his hands full with grocery bags as he stepped through the back door.  “I figured you’d be taking a nap by now.”

“Not tired,” she said, reaching to help him, but he shooed her away.

“That’s good, right?” he asked, smiling as he moved around her to put away the milk.

“Yeah,” she agreed absently, already losing her train of thought in his presence.  He was wearing a tight fitting gray thermal, and she could see every muscle in his arm and back flex as he moved the food to the fridge.  He bent to place the produce in the crisper drawer and her eyes were riveted to his ass the entire time. 

She noticed that he smiled, too, when he saw the sonogram picture as he closed the freezer door, and bit her lip, watching him hungrily.  Then, just when she thought she was already done for, he reached into the bag and held out a pack of Reese’s Cups. 

“Still loving these?” he asked, and that was it.  She was a goner.

“Come here,” she growled, pulling him to her by the front of his shirt and kissing him.  It took him a second to catch his bearings, but when he did, he reciprocated happily.  “Mm, I like it when you’re feeling better,” he said sweetly.

“Fuck me.”

“What?” he asked with a laugh, his eyes widening.  They were together plenty of times since they found out she was pregnant, but the nausea took its toll and that definitely affected their sexual relationship.  But now she felt more like she did in the early dating days, and she wanted to take full advantage of that. 

“Fuck me,” she repeated, kissing him again, and he met her tongue with his as he lifted her onto the countertop. 

She fumbled with his belt as he pushed up the maxi skirt she favored these late summer days.  Once he was hard and ready in her hand, he pushed her underwear to the side, teasing her clit with the head of his cock.  “Do you want me to get a condom?” he asked.

“Oh, Peeta, what’s the point?” she said, her eyes closed in ecstasy as he moved against her. 

That was never her answer before, though.  “Are you sure?” he asked in surprise.

“I’m sure,” she told him, her nails digging into his back.

“I’ve never felt you this wet before.”

She kissed his cheek sweetly, then leaned in to whisper in his ear, “So enjoy it.  I want to feel you enjoying it.”

Any protests were long forgotten as he slid inside of her, and she moaned to encourage him as he started pumping into her, his hands hooked under her thighs as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. 

She clenched around him, smiling triumphantly he cried out.  “Kegel’s” she told him as he moved faster.  “Does that feel good?”

He seemed incapable of speech at the moment, so he nodded enthusiastically.  “Do that when I come,” he said a few seconds later, and his voice was so low and raspy that it turned her on even more.

“I’m close,” she told him, moving her hand between them to touch her clit.  “I’m so close.”

“Me, too.”

So she clenched again, holding it until his back arched.  “Oh,  _fuck,”_ he cried out.  “Keep doing that.”

She complied, and when he came, she tightened and loosened those muscles in accordance with his thrusts, and he was holding her so tightly that she worried about bruises.  “Katniss,” he sighed when he was finished.  “Oh my god.”

He replaced her hand with his, and she cried out as she found her release, kissing him again as it subsided. 

“Damn,” he sighed, reluctantly pulling out of her.  It was far messier this way than with a condom, but the feel more than made up for it.  “Are you sure that was okay?”

“Worried I’ll get pregnant?” she teased.

He shook his head as he wrapped his hand in her hair.  “Not what I meant, smartass.”

She kissed him as he continued to catch his breath, and she considered her next words carefully.  “There isn’t going to be anyone else.”

He lifted his head, eyeing her cautiously.  “Because you don’t  _want_  anyone else?”

“Exactly,” she said, tracing along his jaw with her index finger.  “We’re…going steady now, as far as I’m concerned.”

He pushed off the counter and pulled his jeans back up over his hips.  “Whoa there, Katniss.  Let’s slow this down a little.”

She rolled her eyes, but he continued on playfully.  “Going steady…that sounds pretty serious.  I’m just not sure I’m ready to make that kind of commitment right now.”

She ignored him as she tore open the package of Reese’s and took a bite. 

“You know, in some cultures, peanut butter cups are acceptable substitutes for promise rings,” he told her, eyeing one of them hungrily.

She glared at him as she popped the entire thing into her mouth.  “Not this one.”

 

**Scallion**

The local hospital offered classes on labor, delivery, and newborn child care, and Katniss’s mother signed her and Peeta up for it without even telling them first.  “It will be good for both of you,” her mother said over the phone, and Katniss was fuming on the other end of the line.  Of course her mother would “help” in the easier, most hands-free approach possible.

She told Peeta about it, and while he was annoyed, too, he admitted that he’d still like to go.  “It couldn’t hurt, right?” he asked, and she reluctantly agreed.

The classes were held in a large room in the OB department, and there were half a dozen other couples in attendance, all at various stages of pregnancy.

“When are you due?”  The tall, beautiful blonde standing next to her was already eyeing her belly, trying to guess for herself.

“January 11th,” she said, hoping that her obvious fatigue would deter the woman from finishing the inquisition.  She hated this dance that all pregnant women seemed to do with each other.  “ _When are you due?”_    _“What are you having?”_  and so on and so on.  Then Katniss was expected to volley those questions back, no matter how little she cared about the answers.

“So, what are you having?”

Ugh. 

“We decided to be surprised,” she answered before turning to Peeta for help, but he was busy studying a diagram of the dilated cervix.  Or at least that was his excuse.

“Oh, how fun!” the woman said, rubbing her perfectly round belly.  She seriously looked like a Victoria’s Secret model with a basketball under her designer maternity shirt. 

Katniss wanted to get as far away as possible, but the woman was blinking expectantly. 

“When are you due?” she asked with negative enthusiasm, but the woman didn’t seem to notice or care. 

“November 6th.  It’s a boy!”

“That’s nice,” Katniss said, praying that the nurse would start the class soon.  She had woken up on the wrong side of the Tempur Pedic bed today, and not only was she in a sour mood, but her back was killing her.

Thankfully it wasn’t long until the RN called for everyone’s attention, and after she introduced herself and explained what they would be doing that evening, she instructed all the couples to take seats on the floor, with the partner kneeling behind the pregnant woman.  Peeta was beat after a long day at the bakery, but he took his time with Katniss as he helped her down on the floor, positioning her against him so she was as comfortable as possible, and always being mindful of her sore muscles.

Katniss looked over at the woman she’d been speaking with earlier, and she frowned when she saw that she was trying to kneel on her own, struggling to get down gracefully with her large belly.  The dark haired man who Katniss assumed was her husband seemed oblivious to her struggle, and he remained standing, his focus solely on his smartphone. 

“Could you please help her?” she whispered to Peeta, and he was up in an instant and at the other lady’s side.  Once she was comfortably on the floor, she thanked Peeta and then smiled sweetly at Katniss, and even though her back was aching now more than ever, the smile she returned was a genuine one.

 

**Coconut**

 

“So, when’s your baby shower?” Delly Cartwright asked.

Peeta had invited some of his old high school friends out to dinner with Katniss, and while she was trying to get reacquainted with them, the only topic anyone seemed interested in talking about was the baby, and anything and everything relating to the baby.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, pushing around the food on her plate.  “My sister is in her first year of medical school, and my mother’s…busy, so I think we’ll probably just skip that.”

“But they’re so fun!” Delly continued enthusiastically.  “And you get so much stuff that you need for the baby.  Can’t your friends throw one for you?  I’d love to help!”

“My friends are all kind of busy,” Katniss mumbled, suddenly trying to fight tears.  She was so emotional lately, and it was exhausting.  She didn’t want to care about these things.

Finnick caught her eyes from across the table, and again she was thankful that he agreed to join them that evening, too.  “Hey, Katniss, how’s that birthing class going?” he asked.

She was happy to change the subject, and after she offered up the minimal details about the class, she politely excused herself to use the restroom.  She only made it a few feet before the tears started to fall.

“Katniss?” Peeta asked, trailing after her.  “What’s wrong?”

She brushed her hand over her face and shook her head.  “Um, nothing.  I just, uh-”

“It’s okay.  It’s just her hormones,” Finnick said, coming up next to Peeta.  “Dolphins act the same way when they’re pregnant.”

He assured Peeta that she was okay, and that he’d keep an out for her while he joined his friends, and he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as she tried to compose herself.  “I’ll be alright,” she promised, still dabbing at her damp eyes.  “You’re right, it’s just the hormones.”

That night, Peeta held her as she cried for hours, everything she never even realized she was holding in finally seeping out in frustration.  Her tepid relationship with her mother, how much she missed her sister, her lack of female support to help her transition into motherhood…every single doubt, worry and grievance broke free that night, and while she hoped she’d feel better in the morning, she felt more exhausted than ever by the time she made it back to the apartment she used to share with Finnick.

She was juggling the midterm exams in her arms as she opened the door, and she was surprised to find the room was completely dark.  “Fin?” she called out, batting at the wall to feel for the light switch. 

When she flipped it on, bathing the room in a soft yellow glow, she froze in surprise.  There was Finnick sitting the middle of the room, surrounded by a sea of presents and balloons.  He adjusted the light green party hat askew on top of his head, then enthusiastically blew on the noisemaker to greet her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to take everything in.  There was a new baby swing in the corner with a giant bow on it, piles of wrapped boxes stacked high on top of each other, an army of stuffed animals positioned on the couch…

“I better be the godfather after all this,” he said, flashing the grin that would have any other girl swooning. 

Katniss burst into tears.  “Oh my god, you didn’t have to do this!”

“Hey, don’t cry.  It’s your shower!  It’s a happy day!”

He led her to the center of the room, sitting her on the glider that was also adorned with the large bow.  “This was all a lot of fun, actually.  I love to shop, you know that.”

“Thank you Finnick,” she said, sniffling.

“Anytime.  You’re just lucky your favorite color is green.”

She smiled as she started going through all the presents, thanking him profusely for each one.  He waved her off modestly, then grabbed another bag from the kitchen. 

“Real talk, Everdeen,” he said, sitting in front of her and opening the bag.  “Now, do you want to play that stupid shower game where we melt the chocolate in diapers, or…”  He held up a bunch of candy bars, waving them enticingly in front of her, “Do you just want to eat them?”

She grabbed a Butterfinger and grinned back at him.  “This is the best baby shower ever.”

“Of course it is.”

 

**Honeydew**

Katniss’s phone buzzed with a new email alert, and she pushed her cart off to the side so she could check it, worried it was one of her students asking a question before the final. 

“ _Your baby is the size of a honeydew this week-”_

She looked over at the produce display in front of her and groaned inwardly.  She really needed to unsubscribe from those stupid updates.

“Katniss?”

She followed the sound of her name, and there standing next to the sweet potatoes was the woman from her birthing class, Glimmer…something.  She looked as gorgeous as ever, flawless makeup and not a hair out of place.  And it looked like someone yanked the basketball out from under her shirt, because her body was on point, too.  Then Katniss realized what that meant, and she looked over to see the car seat sitting in the grocery cart. 

“Wow,” she said, waddling over to her and glimpsing inside of it.  “It’s a…baby.”

Glimmer laughed, and even that sounded proper and perfect.  “Well of course it is, silly!  What do you think you got in there, a puppy?”  She reached into the baby carrier and unfastened the buckles, then gently lifted the infant from the seat.  “Katniss, I’d like you to meet my son, Beau.”

She pulled back the corner of the light blue blanket to reveal a tiny cherub face, fast asleep.  He must have been at least a few weeks old because he no longer had that pink rat look Katniss associated with most newborns. “He’s beautiful, Glimmer,” she said, truly awed.

“Thank you,” she whispered, rocking him back and forth.  “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it.  Do you want to hold him?”

Katniss held up her hands in protest, but the baby was being placed in her arms before she could speak a word against it.  She felt like she didn’t know what she was doing, but he stayed fast asleep, as content with her as he had been with his own mother.  “Aw, see, you’re a natural,” Glimmer told her.  “Good thing, too.  You’ll have your own before you know it.”

“I’m not due for another five weeks,” Katniss said worriedly.

“It flies by,” Glimmer warned her.  “You’re gonna have a baby in your arms in a heartbeat.”

~*~

Those words echoed through her head all night.  She tried to concentrate on the movie she was watching with Peeta, but every time the baby tossed or turned inside of her, she’d hear Glimmer’s tinny voice again.

“Wow, someone’s active tonight,” Peeta said, his hand in its usual place now, pressed firmly against her abdomen.

Katniss swallowed thickly.  “Yeah, I guess.”

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer, his other hand still rubbing her belly.  “What’s on your mind?”

“Just..stuff,” she said, suddenly so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, but her smile must have been unconvincing because he leaned over for the remote and turned off the TV.

“You sure?”

“It’s just…next month, we’ll have a baby here,” she said.  “It’s still a little hard to believe.”

“I know,” he admitted as he ran his fingers through her hair.  “But we’ve come a long way in the last few months.”

“We have,” she agreed.

“We’ll be okay,” he promised, whispering in her ear.  “Right, baby?”

They both waited for the answering kick, and Katniss felt the somersault a second later.  “See,” Peeta said, grinning.  “She agrees.”

She couldn’t help but smile back.  “You’re still sure it’s a girl?”

He nodded confidently.  “I like my odds.”

Peeta restarted the movie and she settled back against him, already feeling a little bit better.  “I think it’s a girl, too,” she confided quietly as he continued to rub her stomach.

“You’re going to make a great mother, you know.”

She looked up in surprise, and then exhaled in relief.  “And I think you’re going to be a fantastic father.”

He leaned down to kiss her, and the baby kicked again.

 

 

**Watermelon**

 

Labor should be more like how the TV shows and movies depict it; fast-paced with high drama, but ultimately simple and relatively painless.

But Katniss wasn’t even sure she was in labor.  There was no sudden gushing of water to signal its start, she didn’t have contractions that she was timing perfectly, and she didn’t scream, “It’s time!” while Peeta ran around frantically. 

“Are you okay?” he asked for the second time, watching her with concern as she rubbed at her back again. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, wincing again as it ached.

“Do you think we should go to the hospital?”

“No, it’s okay,” she insisted.  “It’s probably nothing.”

“Katniss, you were due six days ago.   _Maybe_  you’re actually in labor.”

“I’m fine!”

Peeta ignored her and went to the first floor closet, grabbing the hospital bag they had packed together several weeks earlier.  “Come on, let’s go.”

She backed away like a petulant toddler.  “No!  I’m fine!”

“Katniss, we have to go to the hospital  _now_.  If you’re fine, they’ll send us home.”

_‘But they won’t!’_  she thought frantically.  They would just say, ‘Well, since you’re here and already overdue…’ and she wasn’t ready for that.  She just wasn’t ready.

He took her hand and led her to the car, promising that it would be okay, and twenty minutes later, she was in a hospital bed, a nurse telling her to relax as she checked her cervix.

Katniss glared at Peeta from across the room, wincing as the woman probed her painfully.  “Well, you’re four centimeters dilated!” she said, smiling broadly as she wiggled her fingers.  “Congratulations, you’re going to have a baby today.”

“This is all your fault,” she said to Peeta as soon as they were alone again.

“Yeah, you’re definitely in labor if you’re saying that to me,” he smiled.

“I’m serious!  I just needed a few more days.  Nothing’s ready at home!”

“What are you talking about?  Everything’s ready!  And it’s not like labor would have stopped if we didn’t come here.  Did you want to have the baby in the kitchen?”

There was a knock on the door, and Finnick entered once Peeta gave him the all clear.  “How are you feeling, Champ?” he asked, massaging her shoulder.  “Annie’s getting off work early to be here, and Prim’s on her way.”

“My parents are flying in from Florida tonight,” Peeta added after checking his phone.

“Great,” she muttered, thoroughly annoyed.  Annie was not someone you wanted around in case of an emergency, and Prim would probably insist on delivering the baby herself.  And Peeta’s parents…ugh, the last thing she needed was his mother glaring at her as she pushed.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Finnick said, and she rolled her eyes.  “Hey, can I be in here for the delivery?”

“No!”

“Oh come on, I’ll stay up near your head!”

“No!” she repeated loudly, and then her body twisted in pain as another contraction hit.  “Owww, dammit, I hate you both.”

“Hey, man, maybe you should go,” Peeta said gently, trying to lead Finnick out of the room.  “Come back when she’s a little more drugged up.”

“Aww, Katniss,” he said, pleading.  “Come on, babies love me.  My perfectly symmetrical face calms them down.”

“Get. Out.”

Peeta was back at her side in an instant, staring at the monitor with dread.  “Another contraction is coming,” he warned, taking her hand.  She cried out as it hit her, and all she wanted was more time.  Just a few more days.

The pain grew more unbearable as the hours ticked by, and finally it was time for her epidural.  She held on to Peeta as they administered the medicine, and then as soon as she could, she slept.

“You’re at 10,” the nurse announced several hours later after another check.  “We’re ready for you to start pushing as soon as you are.”

“I think I’m ready,” she said, reaching for Peeta’s hand again.  At this point she just wanted it over with.  A few pushes and it’d be done, and maybe she could sleep some more.

But it wasn’t just a few pushes.  It took nearly an hour for her to make real progress, and her entire body was in agony, the epidural a distant memory at that point.  “I can’t do this anymore,” she cried, pained and frustrated. 

“Yes, you can,” Peeta said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.  “You’re doing an amazing job.  Just a little more.”

The doctor and nurses coached her through it, and inch by inch, she was closer to meeting their child.  “Another two pushes or so should do it,” the OB announced.  “Hold for ten!”

She took a deep breath and pushed, waiting as the doctor took his sweet time in counting.  “That was at least 15 seconds!” she cried out after.  “Count with Mississippies!”

He ignored her, his focus elsewhere.  “One more push, Katniss.  You can do it!”

She closed her eyes and held Peeta’s hand, and she thought about her father. 

It was her favorite memory from childhood, years before he died.  They were fishing, and she had snagged a huge bass, and she was yelling for his help to reel it in but he insisted she could do it on her own.  “Pull now, sweetie!” he called, and she used every ounce of her strength to drag in her line.  He laughed when she finally succeeded, and she fell down in the boat, exhausted, as he cleaned the fish.  “My arms are sore!” she complained. 

“But you did it,” he said, tickling her chin.  “Because you can do  _anything_.”

“It’s a girl!” she heard seconds later, and then the shrill cry filled the room and finally she could breathe again, too.

Both she and Peeta were crying, sobbing messes as they placed the tiny baby on her chest.  “She’s gorgeous,” he said in awe, smiling beautifully as he wiped at his eyes.  He ran his hand over the mass of black hair on top of her head.  “She’s perfect.”

The joy she felt at that moment made everything else worth it, and she rubbed her hands up and down the baby’s back, amazed that she was holding her daughter.  “I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much, so fast,” she admitted.

“I did,” Peeta said, and her eyes met his over the top of their baby’s head.  “I love you  _so_ much,” he told her, kissing the tip of her nose.  He leaned down to press a soft kiss to the tip of their daughter’s nose, too, and Katniss beamed back at him.

“Do we have a name picked out,” one of the nurses asked, reaching for the baby to clean her up.

“Not yet,” they both said.

“That’s fine,” she told them, writing ‘Baby Girl Everdeen’ on the piece of paper.

“Actually, it’s Baby Girl Mellark,” Katniss said, and Peeta lifted their joined hands to his mouth for another kiss.

As the nurses took care of the baby and the doctor finished working on Katniss, she reached out to run her hand through his hair, smiling and she got his attention, which had been rooted solely on the nurses working in the corner of the room.

“Hey,” she said, ruffling his blond curls.

“Hey, you,” he smiled back.

“Marry me.”

He laughed, his eyes bright but disbelieving.  “What?  I think you had too much pain medication.”

She shook her head, never having been this sure of anything in her life.  “Marry me,” she repeated.  “I want your last name, too.”

His smile right now wasn’t The Best Smile, or even the smile he always saved for her.  It was completely new, and by far her favorite one yet. 

“Then you got it.”


End file.
